Camps

Tenth Camps

Troop summer camps during the first years took place mainly along the coast of north Down, at Rockport, Ballyferris, Orlock, and Portavo. In the days of empty roads a seven mile journey with a trek cart was a great adventure. When the Troop first pitched bell tents in 1910 at Rockport, even the officers were first-time campers. But a style was established then that would become the Tenth’s hallmark. George McFall, the Tenth’s first historian, explains:

The entire work from start to finish was done by the Scouts, which means that not only were tents pitched and a suitable fireplace made, but all the food was cooked by the boys under the direction of the Camp Officer…. many of [these boys], who afterwards served with the army in France and elsewhere, were able to put into practice the valuable lessons learned in this and subsequent Troop Camps.

Summer camp 1914 at Orlock, near Groomsport. The boy on the right is holding the Troop’s rifle, which was brought to every camp for the Patrol Leaders to shoot rabbits for making stew

From 1915 to 1923 the Troop had the use of a small glen on a farm near Dundonald. Smyth’s farm, off the Stoney Road, was the site of many an Easter camp and Patrol camp, most memorably when it snowed at Easter 1916. Bell tents would again provide a home for many former Scouts when they joined the Army during World War 1.

Under canvas in the snow at Easter camp, 1916

The greatest of all camps are the World Jamborees, and there have been 10th Scouts at most of them. Graham McKee, a 10th Scouter and lead singer with the band ‘Bel’s Boys’, performed at the opening concert of the centenary World Jamboree in 2008.

ASL Graham McKee on stage in front of 40,000 Scouts at the opening of the centenary World Jamboree, 2008

Ian Diamond led the Northern Ireland contingent to the World Jamboree in Australia in 1988. Most of the Troop, and two of the Cubs, were present at the very first Jamboree at Olympia in London in 1920. The Tenth’s Scoutmaster, H.E. Keown, also led the Belfast contingent, some two hundred strong. The boys received a subsidy of £1,000 from the Rotary Club which reduced the camp fee from £8 to £3. The flag that headed the contingent was carried throughout by PL Alec Gregg of the Tenth.

The Belfast contingent at the first World Jamboree camp site in the Old Deer Park at Richmond, London, 1920. The Scouts put on daily exhibitions for the public at Olympia

The 1920s and 1930s witnessed many summer camps along the west coast of Scotland, with the Scouts travelling steerage on the ferry to keep costs down. Transport on land could be just as basic.

Troop transport at summer camp 1927, Killantringan

Scoutmaster Harry Howe encountered an unusual transport problem on the journey to summer camp 1939, as Larry Walker, a Scout at the time, recalled:

Harry had arranged the transport from the boat to the railway where we were to get the train for Wemyss Bay. This consisted of one small Glaswegian man with a handcart…. With the strain of the mountain of tents, kitbags, and Patrol boxes, a wheel came off the cart. Repairs were effected and the trek proceeded satisfactorily, but when we came to paying the man he made all kinds of demands for compensation because of his unfortunate mechanical breakdown. But Harry would have none of this, and insisted on sticking to the original bargain.

That camp was the last before World War 2 broke out, and the following summer’s camp had to be cancelled because of the black-out. Summer camps resumed in 1941, but gas masks had to be brought. During this period the Troop camped twice at Ballinamallard, in an orchard belonging to Mr H. A. Burke, the local Scout Commissioner. The apple trees supplied firewood, while the nearby railway supplied dead rabbits to supplement the rations. Fermanagh had the same black-out conditions as elsewhere during the war, but there was one advantage. Just across the border, in neutral Eire, chocolate was not rationed. Smuggling it back on the train, however, concealed beneath uniforms on a hot summer’s day, was a messy business.

The Troop at summer camp at Sion Mills, 1945. Wartime malnutrition is evident

The 1950s saw high standards of camping under Scouters Maurice Barr and John Cairns. The Tenth’s golden anniversary year, 1959, saw a break from life under canvas, however, as the Troop departed on its first continental camp. A Scout hut in the middle of the Grand Prix track at Zaanvoort was the first night’s accommodation, followed by a youth hostel in Amsterdam. Maurice Barr had allowed many of the older boys to extend for a year in the Troop so they could make the trip and, as anticipated, it was a ‘magnificent holiday’. Everything went according to plan (except on the return journey, when half the Troop had to sail from Stranraer instead of Heysham). The success of this first continental camp ensured it would not be the last.

The Troop in Holland, 1959

A prototype of the ‘survival weekend’ – a rite of passage at the Tenth from the 1970s – was Ronnie Browne’s hike up Slieve Donard with the older boys on New Year’s Eve 1966 to set off fireworks at midnight. Dutifully reporting to the police station in Newcastle beforehand, in case the display was interpreted as a distress signal, Ronnie was initially treated with disbelief, and then informed that nobody would have gone up to check until the morning anyway.

Camping on the snowy summit of Slieve Donard, New Year’s Eve, 1966

Castlewellan Forest Park has been the destination for many an Easter camp from the 1970s through to the present day. Beyond the daily routine of preparing for kit inspection, keeping the fires lit, and preparing meals, these camps have always largely depended on the Troop making its own fun. But it could be a tough experience for the younger boys, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s.

Curlew Patrol at Easter camp, Castlewellan, 1977

The Cubs too have had their share of Pack holidays under canvas, at least as far back as 1931 when they camped at Ballywalter. Those were the days before sleeping bags and airbeds. The first night was spent learning how to sleep on a straw palliasse, without rolling over on to someone else’s bed. From the 1980s a popular location has been Slievenaman Schoolhouse in the Mournes, which allows tents to be pitched in the grounds.

The Sixers pitching camp before the rest of the Pack arrives for summer camp at Slievenaman, 1986

Much of what the first Scouts experienced at camp remains attractive to the youngsters of the 21st century – singing round a fire in the hills as night closes in, a rope swing over a river, a sense of independence and adventure. It remains central to what the Tenth has to offer.

Dinner in the Patrol kitchen, Easter camp, Castlewellan, 2003

Locations of Troop Easter and summer camps:

Year

Easter Camp

Summer Camp

1910

No Easter camp

Rockport, Co. Down

1911

Comber

Unknown

1912

Unknown

Unknown

1913

Whitespots, Newtownards

Ballyferris, Co. Down

1914

Tollymore Park, Bryansford

Orlock Point, Co. Down

1915

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Orlock Point, Co. Down

1916

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Portavo, Co. Down

1917

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Cross Island, Co. Down

1918

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Portavo, Co. Down

1919

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Portavo, Co. Down

1920

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Richmond, Surrey *

1921

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Portavo, Co. Down

1922

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Portavo, Co. Down

1923

Smyth’s farm, Dundonald

Larbrax Bay, Wigtownshire

1924

Portavo, Donaghadee

Wembley, Middlesex *

1925

Clandeboye, Bangor

Langford Lodge, Co. Antrim

1926

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Killantringan, Wigtownshire

1927

Portavo, Donaghadee

Killantringan, Wigtownshire

1928

Portavo, Donaghadee

Killantringan, Wigtownshire

1929

Portavo, Donaghadee

Birkenhead, Cheshire

1930

Portavo, Donaghadee

Killantringan, Wigtownshire

1931

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Langbank, Renfrewshire

1932

Finnebrogue, Downpatrick

Langbank, Renfrewshire

1933

Rademon, Crossgar

Langbank, Renfrewshire

1934

Rademon, Crossgar

Dundas Castle, Linlithgowshire

1935

Rademon, Crossgar

Ely Lodge, Co. Fermanagh

1936

Mount Stewart, Newtownards

Ely Lodge, Co. Fermanagh

1937

Trek to Montalto, Ballynahinch

Brynbach, Denbighshire

1938

Trek to Montalto, Ballynahinch

Brynbach, Denbighshire

1939

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Skelmorlie, Ayrshire

1940

Saintfield House, Saintfield

No camp: wartime regulations

1941

Lakeview farm, Magheragall, Lisburn

Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh

1942

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh

1943

Mount Stewart, Newtownards

Mourne Park, Co. Down

1944

Inch Abbey, Downpatrick

Carnlough, Co. Antrim

1945

Castle Ward, Strangford

Sion Mills, Co. Tyrone

1946

Rademon, Crossgar

St Angelo, Co. Fermanagh

1947

Rademon, Crossgar

Ely Lodge, Co. Fermanagh

1948

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Ely Lodge, Co. Fermanagh

1949

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Haltwhistle, Northumberland

1950

Montalto, Ballynahinch

Stranraer, Wigtownshire

1951

Shane’s Castle, Randalstown

Belle Isle, Co. Fermanagh

1952

Mount Stewart, Newtownards

Blair Atholl, Perthshire

1953

Castle Ward, Strangford

Luss, Dunbartonshire

1954

Cleggan Lodge, Broughshane

Hexham, Northumberland

1955

Shane’s Castle, Randalstown

The Barony, Maughold, Isle of Man

1956

Shane’s Castle, Randalstown

Chalfont Heights, Buckinghamshire

1957

Mount Stewart, Newtownards

Buckmore Park, Kent

1958

Cleggan Lodge, Broughshane

Downhill, Co. Londonderry

1959

Mahee Island, Strangford Lough

Amsterdam, Holland

1960

Lakeview farm, Magheragall, Lisburn

The Barony, Maughold, Isle of Man

1961

Castlewellan Park

Tour of Ireland

1962

Lakeview farm, Magheragall, Lisburn

Auchengillan, Stirlingshire

1963

Castle Ward, Strangford

St Asaph, Flintshire

1964

Shane’s Castle, Randalstown

Mourne Park, Co. Down

1965

Mount Stewart, Newtownards

Castlewellan Park, Co. Down

1966

Saintfield House, Saintfield

Powerscourt Demesne, Co. Wicklow

1967

Nugent Estate, Portaferry

Auchengillan, Stirlingshire

1968

Tipperary Wood, Newcastle

Marble Arch, Co. Fermanagh

1969

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Interlaken, Switzerland

1970

Mount Stewart, Newtownards

Downhill, Co. Londonderry

1971

McConnell’s farm, Mountnorris

Ely Lodge, Co. Fermanagh

1972

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Amsterdam, Holland

1973

Gosford Forest Park, Markethill

Mourne Park, Co. Down

1974

Castlewellan Forest Park

Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh

1975

Castlewellan Forest Park

Gilwell Park, Essex

1976

Castlewellan Forest Park

Buckmore Park, Kent

1977

Castlewellan Forest Park

Mount Melleray, Ireland *

1978

Castlewellan Forest Park

Buckmore Park, Kent

1979

Castlewellan Forest Park

Delft, Holland

1980

Castlewellan Forest Park

Gilwell Park, Essex

1981

Castlewellan Forest Park

Buckmore Park, Kent

1982

Saintfield House, Saintfield

Castle Archdale, Co. Fermanagh *

1983

Castlewellan Forest Park

Hawkhirst, Northumberland

1984

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Larch Hill, Co. Dublin

1985

Castlewellan Forest Park

Delft, Holland

1986

Seaforde Estate

Auchengillan, Stirlingshire

1987

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Larch Hill, Co. Dublin

1988

Castlewellan Forest Park

Zedelgem, Belgium

1989

Hike in Mourne Mountains

Gosford Forest Park, Co. Armagh *

1990

Castlewellan Forest Park

Belle Isle, Co. Fermanagh

1991

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

No camp

1992

Castlewellan Forest Park

Lough Dan, Co. Wicklow

1993

Slievenaman Schoolhouse, Mournes

Ballyfin, Co. Laois *

1994

Castlewellan Forest Park

Gilwell Park, Essex

1995

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

No camp

1996

Castlewellan Forest Park

Lough Dan, Co. Wicklow

1997

No camp

Crawfordsburn, Co. Down

1998

Castlewellan Forest Park

Larch Hill, Co. Dublin

1999

Castlewellan Forest Park

Rotterdam, Holland (Group camp)

2000

Castlewellan Forest Park

Gilwell Park, Essex

2001

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh

2002

Hike in Mourne Mountains

No camp

2003

Castlewellan Forest Park

Walesby Forest, Nottinghamshire *

2004

Castlewellan Forest Park

Larch Hill, Co. Dublin

2005

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Hesley Wood, South Yorkshire

2006

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

No camp

2007

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Walesby Forest, Nottinghamshire

2008

Crawfordsburn Scout Centre

Crawfordsburn, Co. Down

Over 100 Years of Scouting – Proud to be part of the Northern Ireland Scout Movement

About the Tenth Belfast

A non-denominational Scout Group open to all young males between the ages of four and twenty. The tenth prides itself on a long traditional history dating back to 1909.

The group sections consists of Squirrels (4-6 years old), Beavers (6 to 8 years old), Cubs (8 to 10 and a half years old) and Scouts (10 and a half to 14) and finally Explorers (14+ years old).